Geographical indications

Control

History

All cultivation, preparation, packing and final produce certifying processes are supervised by the Regulatory Board, institution in charge of certifying the Designation and assuring that the produce included meet the requirements set by the Regulations. The Regulatory Board has also implemented a quality system in compliance with the European Standard 45011.

INSPECTION

The certification system which has been implemented is based upon:

• At field level It is aimed at guaranteeing the origin of the product, which must originate from the plots of land located in the 33 boroughs of Navarre included in the Regulations. To this end, all the plots of land which apply for registration in the Register of Plantations are inspected. The kind of plant which has been used is also checked. Inspectors also confirm that the yield does not exceed 15000Kg/Ha.

At storing level It is aimed at guaranteeing that fresh product is being handled in conformity with the specifications stated in the Regulations.

At industrial levelIt is aimed at guaranteeing that the canning system complies precisely with the specifications set in the Regulations. The different phases of the industrial preparation are inspected, confirming that no acidity corrector whatsoever is being used. Besides, some random samples are taken for their posterior analysis in the lab.

QUALITY CONTROL OF THE FINAL PROCDUCT

PHYSICO-CHEMICAL ANALYSIS

These analyses guarantee that the canned food complies with the standard on canned vegetables quality and present the characteristics of artichokes (they must be prepared without acidification and the pH of the ultimate product cannot be lower than 5).

These analyses are carried out by the Spanish National Centre for Food Technology and Safety in San Adrián (Navarre).

The generalised use of rootstalks of “Blanca de Tudela” artichokes as the basis for crops throughout Spain, as well as the relevance gained by this fresh produce in the metropolitan markets of Barcelona and Madrid as well in those in the north of Spain caused growers from Tudela district to pursue an identification only for their produce.

Consequently, in 1988 they obtained the “Alcachofa de Tudela” Designation of Quality, which only covered the produce for fresh consumption of the harvest from the geographical area comprising the domains of the following municipalities: Cabanillas, Cortes, Fontellas, Fustiñana and Tudela.

In 1996, the EEC Regulation 2081/92 came into force in Spain, which resulted in the suppression of the concept of Designation of Quality and its transformation into any of the categories specified by the Community Regulations.

In 1999, the efforts to transform the Designation of Quality started and in June of the same year Department of Agriculture, Livestock and Food Issues of the Government of Navarre was submitted an application for European registration of the Protected Geographical Indication “Alcachofa de Tudela”.

The Protected Geographical Indication “Alcachofa de Tudela” was approved by Navarre regional government in July 2000, ratified by the Spanish Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries in May 2001 and finally recorded in the Commission’s European Register, according to the Regulation 1971/2001, on October 9th 2001.

According to the Regulations approved, not only fresh but also canned artichokes are protected by the Protected Geographical Indication. The producing geographical area comprises 33 boroughs of the Ribera de Navarra, with Tudela as the heart of the district.

The Protected Geographical Indication “Alcachofa de Tudela” can include:

artichoke plantations in plots of land belonging to any of the municipalities of the producing geographical area, at the request of their growers.

those marketing or storing/wholesaling fresh produce in any of the boroughs encompassed by the producing geographical area.

owners of canning industry factories in Navarre who undertake to transform and market this produce, that is, “Blanca de Tudela” flowers and “heads” of crop plants.